While driving through Yorkshire one summer in the 1970s, the television producer Philip Gilbert noticed two men rounding up sheep with a dog. It gave him an idea: perhaps this activity could be brought to television.

He approached the renowned country gentleman Phil Drabble, telling him about his plan to devise a programme about sheepdog trials – suggesting he should host such a show. Drabble was not impressed: “I told him not to be so daft. I said the viewers would fall off their perches with boredom”.

One Man and His Dog did, however, soon receive its first airing, originally as a one-off semi-documentary about rural life. After its success, the BBC launched the series in 1976. Exported to Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States, One Man and His Dog, at its peak, was watched by eight million BBC2 viewers in this country every Saturday. Alongside co-commentator Eric Halsall, Phil Drabble became the face of this surprisingly popular show for 17 years.

In the programme, three shepherds, each with their own sheepdog, would try to whistle and “come by” their way through the show. The dogs and shepherds faced a series of obstacles, such as guiding the sheep through a gate, into a ring and then into a pen. While all this went on, Drabble would provide the commentary, telling the viewers “It’s going to be a close-run thing” or “the dog’s getting a little excited”.

Although apparently it lacked drama, One Man and His Dog hit the right spot for many. It followed the similarly sedentary snooker on a Saturday afternoon and, like Pot Black, its format was simple and soothing. It had the added appeal of being set in beautiful surroundings and presented by the comfortable, commanding Drabble. It was perfect for pensioners, hungover students and those seeking a brief weekly window into the world of the countryside.

Phil Drabble was of the ilk of such characters as Percy Thrower and Arthur Negus: gruff yet endearing old boys who took to television well. Though he was for many viewers the quintessence of the rugged rustic – wellington boots, tweed jacket and cap – Drabble spent the first half of his life working in a factory in West Bromwich.

Born on the edge of the Black Country, he was an only child, whose mother died when he was 8. His father, a GP, used to take the young Phil on his visits to farmers and landowners throughout the region. Consequently, he came to learn a great deal about the countryside. He met many farmers, poachers and bullterrier-loving miners, who taught him his natural history in the field. He became particularly fond of dogs, and Drabble’s sole friend at this time was a mongrel pup he was allowed to keep for company.

After graduating from Battersea College, however, Drabble returned to the industrial Midlands to work at Salter’s in West Bromwich, where he began his career filing round iron bars square, then filing them round again. He eventually became a production director.

At the same time, he began to write about the country in a part-time capacity. From his knowledge of illegal dog and cockfights in the Black Country, he wrote his first published article in The Field in 1941, about the working man’s favourite combatant: the Staffordshire bull terrier. More work followed, and six years later he began work on BBC Midland Radio, moving to television in 1953.

At the age of 47 he decided to retire and put his life’s savings into buying a large house in the country: Goat Lodge in Staffordshire, a Victorian folly next to which Drabble obtained overlordship of about 90 acres of land. Here he created a sanctuary that included deer, herons, foxes, pheasants, water fowl and badgers. He also grew 30,000 Christmas trees, which were felled when he needed to supplement his income.

The estate was maintained through his work in broadcasting and writing. He produced more than 20 books, including My Beloved Wilderness (1971), It’s a Dog’s Life (1983) and his autobiography, A Voice in the Wilderness (1991). The unexpected success of One Man and His Dog led Drabble to other appearances on television, including Getaway, Country Game and In the Country. It was One Man and His Dog, however, for which he will always be associated.

The urban audience was not initially convinced by the show. Some viewers were so astounded at the skill with which the sheep were commanded that they suspected the programme of underhandness, believing the sheep of being clandestinely trained. The unlikely audience was soon won over. The programme appealed to many a city-dwellers’ idyllic conception of the countryside: a pastoral idyll of bright summer mornings and brisk walks across fields with wellies, walking stick and a canine companion. Drabble was amazed at the post he received from viewers living in Surbiton or Coventry, sending him tips on how best to get the dog to round up the flock.

He left the programme in 1993, claiming its format had become tired: “It’s boring watching dogs chase stroppy sheep.” With Robin Page at the helm, it continued for six more years, though its glory days were now behind it. By the time it was scrapped the programme, which was then broadcast on Sunday evenings, could muster viewing figures of about only 1.6 million.

Its removal from the airwaves caused some consternation from viewers and there was even a campaign for its reinstatement. Drabble himself was not particularly agitated. “I think most of these things do come to their natural end,” he said.

He spent his remaining days on his estate and in 1995 he dedicated his sanctuary to the pupils of a local school, with English Nature ensuring that the estate would be preserved according to his and his wife’s wishes.

He was Midlander of the Year in 1992 and appointed OBE in 1993.

His wife, Jess, died 18 months ago.

Phil Drabble, OBE, television presenter, was born on May 14, 1914. He died on July 29, 2007, aged 93